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Another lingering human rights concern Clinton may raise with Thein Sein is the fate of a Muslim ethnic group in western Myanmar. The Rohingyas have been the target of discrimination, and tensions with Rakhine Buddhists last month exploded into violence that left at least 78 people dead and tens of thousands homeless. Thein Sein this past week proposed that the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees resettle the Rohingya in a third country or take responsibility for them, a suggestion rejected by the U.N. as unsuitable. The business gathering is the final scheduled event of Clinton's weeklong tour of Asia, before she heads to Egypt and Israel. After stops in Japan and Mongolia, she looked for new investments and human rights advances in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia
-- countries in China's backyard whose relations with the U.S. have warmed in recent years despite the difficult legacy of the Vietnam War. The evolution reflects the wide fear among Southeast Asian countries of being swallowed up as China's military and economic might expands. The Obama administration is hoping to coax Asian governments away from Beijing as it `pivots' U.S. power toward the Pacific. The goal is to expand the American foothold in a part of the world that is increasingly becoming the center of the global economy, but where democracy and human rights lag. Containing China's burgeoning power is another objective. Earlier Friday, Clinton announced that the United States will provide five countries in Southeast Asia with $50 million over three years to assist them with health, education and environment programs. The recipients of the aid are Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand and Myanmar.
[Associated
Press;
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